“Queen Sugar” came roaring back to television this week, with the Season 2 premiere of the OWN series scoring the show’s highest ratings ever.

The premiere episode, which aired Tuesday, averaged a 2.1 rating in the key women 25-54 demographic and 2.3 million total viewers, also making it the night’s number two cable telecast for women and number one with women in its time slot according to Nielsen data. The second episode on Wednesday notched a a 1.6 rating and 1.7 million total viewers, making it Wednesday night’s number one cable telecast for women 25-54 and women 18-49 as well as number one in the time period across all cable with women 25-54, women 18-49, adults 25-54 and adults 18-49.

The series hails from Academy Award-nominee Ava DuVernay, who serves as executive producer and showrunner. In the new season, the Bordelon siblings struggle to move forward with their lives as they strive to honor the legacy of their father following his unexpected passing. Charley (Dawn-Lyen Gardner) relocates to Saint Josephine, Louisiana to help run the family business. As the only black female sugarcane mill owner, she must fight to regain her independence while rebuilding her relationships with her estranged siblings. Ralph Angel (Kofi Siriboe) struggles to transform from a formerly incarcerated single father to a land owner in the eyes of his family as he works to restore his relationship with his son’s mother. Nova (Rutina Wesley) finds herself torn between her activism and her desire to be loved. Together, they must learn to rely on one another as they navigate their tenuous bonds as family.

The debut season won an NAACP Image Award for Best Drama Series, Television Show of the Year from both ABFF and AAFCA, and was a People’s Choice Awards nominee for Favorite Cable Drama. It was also the number one cable series for women 25-54 and the number one new cable series for African-American women and total viewers during its run.

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